This invention relates to air-tightening devices in joint members connecting panels of folding or collapsible doors and windows. Such doors and windows are required recently not only for parting spaces but also for hermetically closing one from another. In other words, especially when they are used as doors or windows which shut off a room from the outside, they are to be air- and water-tight. In order to achieve this end, sealing means are generally provided to upper and lower lintel rails which coact with such doors or windows, and another sealing means are provided to the joint members of the doors or windows so that when they are closed, the sealing means close the panels air-tightly, leaving no space therebetween. Prior examples of such air-tightening devices for folding doors and windows are described in Japanese Preliminary Utility Model Publications No. Sho-60-159191 and No. Hei-3-40484.
Folding doors and windows are mostly consisted of a plurality of vertically extending panels which are connected each other by joint members so that they are collapsible or bendable. Journals provided to the joint members for allowing the panels to make bending or folding movements, are generally located within a width or thickness of the panels or very adjacently to the panels. In other words, swivels for the panels are located within a locus of their movements. Such provision necessiates small cut-outs or openings between the journals, panels, and joint members, or it needs to round off the angles or to trim the corners of the panels or joint members. Otherwise, the panels can not be swiveled without being interfered or striken by the corners of the joint members. Rounded angles or trimmed corners produce openings between the door and sealing means provided to lintel rails, resulting in adversely affecting air- and water-tightness of the folding doors.
In Japanese Utility Model Post-Examination Publication No. Hei-1-9919, there is disclosed an air-tightening device for a double folding window. Since this window has swiveling shafts protruded outwardly from joint members and panels, it does not need openings such as discussed above. However, since sealing means fitted to panel frames so as to extend vertically along their entire length are designed to protrude outwardly from the frames and to abut at their upper and lower ends, against another sealing means embedded in lintel rails, small openings are to be left between the panel frames and the corresponding joint members for allowing the first-mentioned sealing means to protrude outwardly and to make such outward abutment. And, as the first-mentioned sealing means are provided to the panel frames protrudedly therefrom, they are pressed against the rails so heavily and excessively that they prevent the window from sliding linearly. When the panels are folded one by one, it is required often to move some of them linearly, while they are kept stretched. Hence, it is desired to allow the folding door to smoothly linearly slide even when some of its panels are kept stretched.